Dhaka, March 19 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has granted Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC) access to its database of registered Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.

ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the EC's National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) wing, made the announcement following a meeting with UNHCR representatives at the EC headquarters in Agargaon on Wednesday.

Officials from both UNHCR's Geneva office and its Cox's Bazar operations were present at the discussions.

"We have been trying for a long time to obtain the Rohingya data maintained by UNHCR. The Bangladesh government has been making efforts since 2018," Kabir said after the meeting.

A memorandum of understanding has already been...